Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Structural Equation Modelling of Nursing ESP Students’ Motivational Orientations, Psychological Needs, and Goal Orientations as Determining Factors in their Academic Writing Ability

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.
2 University Instructor, Department of English Language and Literature, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.
10.22034/jeltal.2025.7.1.2
Abstract
The present study aimed to determine the extent to which male and female nursing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) students’ basic psychological needs and motivational orientations predicted their writing performance, with a focus on the mediating role of their goal orientations. Using convenience sampling, the researcher selected 179 male and 172 female students from various universities in Iran as participants. To collect the necessary data, three reliable and valid questionnaires—basic psychological needs, motivational orientations, and goal orientations—were employed alongside a writing test. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings revealed that the students’ basic psychological needs and motivational orientations significantly predicted their writing performance when the mediating role of goal orientations was considered. Additionally, male students’ motivational orientations emerged as the primary predictors of their writing performance, whereas female students’ basic psychological needs played a more critical role in explaining the variance in their writing ability. The results offer valuable insights for ESP lecturer educators, syllabus designers, and instructors regarding the importance of affective factors in ESP students’ language learning in foreign language contexts. These findings emphasize the need to consider gender-related differences in designing more effective and personalized ESP instruction.
Keywords

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Volume 7, Issue 1
March 2025
Pages 27-55

  • Receive Date 22 November 2024
  • Revise Date 25 February 2025
  • Accept Date 02 March 2025